


The Proud Eagle and the Free Stag

by Ruunkur



Series: The Teller of Stories [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, story telling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:36:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29757657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruunkur/pseuds/Ruunkur
Summary: Come and listen to the teller of stories, and the words he weaves.Come and hear the tale of the Eagle and the Stag
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg & Claude von Riegan
Series: The Teller of Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2187090
Kudos: 4





	The Proud Eagle and the Free Stag

“Come one, come all. And let me tell you a tale.”

The man leaned down, smiling at the children. His hair is brown, shining in the sun. The desert heat swells around him, the coolness of the shade beckoning to any passerbys.

The children pause, looking at the man in the market square. His voice was silky, eyes glinting in the sun.

“What kind of story do you have, mister?”

The man smiled, offering them a sweeping bow. “What of a story of the country beyond the throat? From a land of magic, of beings that become beasts? Of a war that ripped apart a world they all once knew?”

The children were thick around the man now, crowding into the shade. They had heard of this teller of stories, of the one that would bring tales none other knew. Many children looked for him, but it was rare when his visits happened.

There were some rumors that the teller of stories only appeared when the King Himself appeared, a ghost that followed after the royal family.

The children clammered around him, begging for the story and the man sat on a stool he had brought with him, his hands spreading wide.

“Do you children know of Fodlan?”

The name was heavy on his tongue, his voice low as if he was speaking of another world. The children drew closer, nodding their agreements. The news of the war had reached them, but the Fodlanis had sorted out their own mess.

Few stories reached them, but their king had returned, taken the throne, and forged peace.

“This story is about the Proud Eagle and the Free Stag.”

The man’s eyes sparkled and one of the children cleared her throat. “Is it a… love story?” she whispers, hesitant to interrupt the man.

The man smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “No, there’s no love in this one. It is about two enemies, locked in a fierce battle of wits and cunning.”

The children grew silent, drawing in their breaths and holding them. The man made a grand gesture, capturing the audience’s attention fully.

“This is a story of how the Free Stag and the Proud Eagle met in a flurry of antlers and talons, and how a star interceded it all.” He closed his eyes taking a small breath.

 _It was said that the story begins_ when the Proud Eagle declared war on the Kingdom of the Lion and the Alliance of the Stag. But what many people don’t remember is there was a time before. When the Eagle, the Lion, and the Stag worked together, learned together.

For they were sent to an academy. One where they would learn many things. The Stag, as a rule, was a strange character. He hid himself away from the others, only offering what he wanted many to see.

He kept up a mask, certain that any wrong move would be the one that would cause him to be forced to flee. The Stag was afraid, but what he didn’t know was that the Eagle and the Lion were equally afraid, each for their own reasons.

Life had left cruel scars on each of the three future rulers, leaving them to handle traumas and troubles of their own. While these three young students suffered under the stress, another was to come into their lives and make them question their convictions.

This other was a being that appeared like a shooting star, hurtling towards the lands in the darkest night. While at the academy, the Lion, the Stag, and the Eagle were attacked. The Stag, as was his nature, fled into the woods, but the Lion and the Eagle followed.

There, in a world not quite their own, they were attacked. And from the skies descended a Star, one who would guide them.

The Stag, curious by nature, tried to convince the Star to join him and lead his class, but alas, the Stag failed in his convictions and the Star was led to another, finding interest in that of the Eagle.

The Stag, for all their poking and prodding, couldn’t quite figure out what the Eagle had that he did not. He kept a watchful eye on the other two, cultivating friendships. He even, though it was little, managed to gain a hand of trust from the Star.

While the school year progressed, more and more things happened surrounding the Star. The Stag, in all his wisdom, pulled away. He kept a watchful eye on the Star, but soon, the events were too much. They grew too quickly and soon, the Stag was afraid.

The proud Eagle circled from above, watching with her own eye.

It wasn’t until after the Eagle struck, that the Stag understood.

It was uncertain of what would happen. The Eagle had cultivated a following from the Lion and even his own people, drawing those that were interested ever closer to the Star.

The star, shining brightly, descended into the dark and came forth with a gleaming sword.

The Stag understood, then, that there would be no saving him. He would return to his home and fall into silence.

But, before he garnered the chance to retreat, the Eagle struck. Down in the crypts, the Eagle revealed their truest nature. The Eagle struck against its own and the Star defended.

But not before the Star reached a hand out to the Eagle. Upon seeing the gesture, the Star accepted and the Eagle guided the Star away.

Stumped, the Stag would sit, talking with those students that were left. There were not many, only the handful of truest friends to the Stag and the Lion. They would prepare the academy against any who might strike. It was hard, though, knowing that they would soon return and the Star would be against them.

The Lion and the Stag took to the field when the Eagle showed its face. Upon the attack, many had fled, retreating for safety, but many were still there.

The Star, striking across the field, struggled to achieve the heart of the academy.

The defenders, running out of options, retreated themselves. But it was not before a gleaming white Dragon took the field, striking down the Star before fleeing.

The Stag took those that remained and retreated to the Alliance, to prepare. He knew a little of the Star and the Eagle, and he could only plan for what may come. They struggled, the Stag and the Lion retreating.

The Lion, staunch in its holy ways, invited the Priestess Most High into his kingdom and they stewed there, behind their gates, watching as the Eagle circled ever closer.

The Stag prepared his Alliance for many things, preparing to strew as much trouble as possible, causing little pitfalls for the Eagle to wander into.

Five years would pass, with the three at a stalemate, neither able to move forward while the Stag created his own artificial problems within his Alliance.

The Alliance was caving, and he played the cracks, aiming to strike what blows he could. When the strain became too great, he accepted the cracks.

It would take five years before the strain appeared. In that five years, the Star was never seen. The Stag reached out to the Lion on multiple occasions, but always his messengers would return, riddled with arrows.

When the Star finally did breach the horizon, the Stag was unprepared. The Eagle moved swiftly, under its guiding light, and soon they stood face to face.

The Alliance, while cracked, was mostly unravished as the Stag met the Eagle in battle. Near the end, when the Star and the Eagle faced down the Stag.

He lifted up his weapon and called for a truce, offering his position as the Duke of the Alliance. He let the Eagle know that he would not return, if the Eagle and the Star accepted his defeat.

Blood had soaked their path, but the pair relented and the Stag lept into the distance, flying away, but not before leaving his weapon as an offering.

It would not be until years later that the Stag would be seen again. Sitting across the golden table, he was perched on a throne, meeting the gaze of the Eagle.

For, once the Priestess Most High and the Lion were defeated, Fodlan found its peace. And the Eagle, ever dutiful, remembered the promise that it would listen, should a message ever arrive.

And so, across the throat did the Stag rule, and there the Stag met the Eagle, _a welcome on his lips._

The teller of stories glanced up at the sun. The story was a shorter one this day and the children were staring up at him. It was silent before one dared to speak,

“The Stag is the king that rules.”

The teller of stories nodded, easing up from his sitting position. “He does rule here and he looks to where he has been.”

“He’ll protect Almyra.” One boy was confident, eyes blazing.

“But he didn’t win the Fodlani war.” Another pointed out, sticking his tongue at the first boy.

“But the Stag prevented many people from dying, that is a feat far more impressive than winning a war.”

The children accepted the words of the teller of stories, each scrambling in their own direction as the bell tolled. The teller of stories stretched, placing his hands behind his head. The defeat stung, but the preservation of life was the sweetest point.

The only thing that mattered to him as he strolled through the marketplace, returning home.


End file.
